The data behind Cahill’s Caltex Socceroos selection

Tim Cahill has allayed any fears of his lack of game-time for the FIFA World Cup, revealing his training data at Millwall was sent back to Caltex Socceroos coaching staff on a daily basis to monitor his fitness.

Cahill was on Tuesday named in Bert van Marwijk’s 26-man squad which will head to Turkey this weekend for a pre-World Cup training camp.

“When you win it’s hard to change the team. I had to sit and wait for 17 games and just come on and add.

“It meant I had to play in behind-closed-doors games, I had to train more.

“All our data every day gets sent back to Australia….all our training data and game data. You can’t go into camp undercut.

“You can’t go to Norway and play Colombia the last camp and just think you can be there off romance or because you have done it before. You can’t carry passengers when you go into such a big tournament.”

Cahill is currently enjoying some down time in the US with his family ahead of linking with the squad in Turkey next week.

As well as friendlies against Czech Republic and Hungary prior to the tournament, van Marwijk will put his squad through an intense training camp to get them ready for what’s to come in Russia.

“The four week camp is going to be one of the most intense anyone is ever going to go through,” Cahill said.

“I’ve been to three before and it will be double sessions, it will be a couple of practice games and learning the new style, tactics, formations to prepare for France, Peru and Denmark.

“This definitely won’t be for the faint-hearted.

“Having the experience of three of these before you need to be at a high level of fitness to be ready for one of the biggest tournaments in the world.”